


PadLock Short Stories

by Kashimalin



Category: Don't Hug Me I'm Scared (Short Film)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-20
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-03-07 19:50:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3181034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kashimalin/pseuds/Kashimalin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Is there not enough PadLock for you? This series updates with small short stories about your favorite Notebook and Clock in a number of different settings, stories, and romances! (Ratings fluctuate from K to M!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Soulmate Countdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prompt from Anonymous ask: I remembered the AU where a clock on people's wrists tell when they'll meet their soulmates. And I got the idea that maybe that's why Tony takes time so seriously and has an organized schedule because he doesn't want to miss the moment that his clock gets to 0 and as his clock's numbers get lower he gets excited and nervous. Then when THE day finally arrives he looks at himself at the mirror to make sure he looks good and fixes his bowtie, he goes out and sees Paige and knows she is "the one"_

Tony sighed as he stared in the mirror. He could feel his heart pulsing, the beat getting faster with anticipation. After that, his hands began to sweat, feeling slick as they glided over the little clock on his wrist.

Every human had one. It counted down the days, the hours, the minutes… until you met your soulmate. Only one person in the entire world had a clock counting down to perfectly match up with yours. And you would have no idea until you met them what they looked like, how they acted, or even their age!

And Tony’s clock had passed 24 hours that morning. Less than a day left.

6:03:14 AM, he would meet his soulmate. He had calculated it long ago, and assumed that the meeting would happen while he was out getting the paper. That was what he did every morning, after all. 

Pulling back his sleeve once again, he stared at the numbers, as if he couldn’t believe it.

00000 d, 08 h, 04 m, and 48 s, the clock declared, slowly counting downward ever further.

Tony wondered if he would be able to sleep tonight as he walked out of the bathroom, still staring at his wrist. Falling backwards onto his bed, he debated just falling asleep so the appointed hour would come faster… when the phone rang. 

Groaning, he pulled himself up and out of his imagination and answered. “Hello?”

“Ack!” a young female voice cried from the other line. “Sorry! Wrong number!” The phone beeped off and Tony stared at the phone.

Nobody he really knew had that voice. Oh, well. Wrong numbers happened all the time.

Falling back and crossing an arm over his eyes, he tried to fall asleep, despite his racing heart.

* * *

On the other side of town, a girl sighed in bed. She had wanted to call her friend and tell her that her clock was close to ending. It was almost done, and would soon ring at zero.

But in her excitement and lack of sleep, she had dialed the wrong number and gotten another person instead.

No matter. He sounded old, anyway. Dialing up another number, she talked with her friend late into the night, wondering what he’d look like, where she’d meet him, and how she would look tomorrow.

“I hope he’s the way I always imagine – tall, dark, and handsome! And oh my gosh! It’s reading zero days, seven hours, fifty-six minutes, and twenty-six seconds!”

“You’re so lucky,” her friend said from the other line, sadly. “I’ve still got roughly two years left. I’m beginning to feel a little lonely. What if my soulmate is younger than me, Paige!”

“I don’t think they will be,” she replied, a little put-out by her friend’s interruption.

“What if they’re a _guy_ , Paige?”

“I’m pretty sure that they won’t be…” She wasn’t sure when the conversation had switched from her big day to her friend being concerned about their future soulmate, but did her best to reassure her, anyway.

It took her mind off of how nervous she was about tomorrow.

* * *

The next morning, Tony woke up, and groggily looked at the clock on his wrist.

“Ahhhh!” Pulling himself up out of bed, he looked to his other clock on the bedside table. It read “5:46” in big red numbers.

Tony began to skitter around the house, grabbing everything he had laid out the night before. However, he had not anticipated the sixteen-minute delay…

“Skipping breakfast would save time…” he muttered as he brushed his teeth. “Shave 12 minutes and 5 seconds off my time…” He had been feeling sick to his stomach anyway, and wasn’t about to embarrass himself. Instead, he focused on wondering if he should wear the bow tie he picked out for the occasion – a red and gold one – to at least look a little nicer.

With two minutes to spare at the end of his routines, he checked himself in the mirror one last time before heading out the door.

“Am I really doing this?” he asked his reflection, hesitantly. “Is this really what I want to do?" 

No response came, but he adjusted his bow tie and ran his fingers through his hair. What if she didn’t like how he looked? What if she didn’t want to be stuck with a man heavily dependent on routines? The habit had only come about because of his wrist’s clock, but now it was so heavily engraved into his mind that Tony doubted he could break it.

Walking outside into the cool fresh air, he locked his door and began walking down the street to go pick up his paper. Muttering something about the fact that he was old-fashioned and that she might not like that, Tony tried to distract himself with the mental image he had painted of his soulmate.

However, he found it to be a blur, as there was somebody standing at the machine already, kicking it with the force of a soccer player, before bending down and checking the door once again.

* * *

Paige had been there since the early morning, asked to get the paper for her mother. The machine hadn’t accepted her coins! Debating missing out on getting the daily news, she wondered if her mother would prevent her from meeting her soul mate. …She probably could, if she kept her home. Unless that was where she had to be?

Giving a small whimper, she hoped that her dress wasn’t wrinkled as she checked the watch on her wrist again. She’d hate it if her outfit had been ruined by her kicking the machine and constantly crouching to check the door.

Tony, on the other hand, found that he could only stare, then heard her yell, “Fine, I give up!”

It was the voice he’d heard on the phone yesterday! Walking over, he leaned down to her level, deciding to help her out. His time could wait – he had minutes to spare, didn’t he?

“I’d ask why you’re yelling at a machine, but I’ve seen it done to this poor thing before.”

Paige turned and stared back. “Well, what would you know?!” 

"I happen to get the paper every morning. Sometimes…” Tony trailed off, looking into the coin slot while pulling quarters of his pocket. “Ah, yes. Sometimes, the coin just gets caught.” Following that, he slid one into the slot ever-so-slightly, and the clang of a falling coin was here.

“There. See? Just stuck.” Opening the door for her, he held out a paper. “I assume this is for you?” 

Tony looked up at her face, and really registered it for the first time. It was round, and she had a cute nose. Somewhat like what he had pictured, but not that she’d have such pale skin, and would be in a dress with tights in the chilly weather. However, it suited her quite well. She knew her fashion tastes.

In return, Paige also began to observe him. His voice sounded vaguely familiar, but it was crisp. His coat was worn and his eyes, tired, but there was something about him that just…

As she took the rolled up paper in her hand, there was a beeping sound that broke the quiet air.

“Is it really that time?” they exclaimed in almost perfect unison, standing up as they let the paper drop to the ground. Seeing nobody else but each other, Paige looked up at the man – who was taller than she expected him to be.

“I was hoping my soulmate would be the same height…”

Tony gave a laugh. “My apologies for not living up to your expectations.”

“…Well, anyway,” she said with a huff, rubbing her shoulders from the cold, “My name is Paige. I want to be an artist and designer.”

“Tony, accountant. It is absolutely wonderful to finally meet you, Paige. We have a lot of catching up to do." 


	2. The Symphony of Unusual Abilities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prompts from rainbowpaprika and little-dhmis-things: “… I just had this idea of Tony being a conductor of an orchestra. Note decides to get a little creative with one of the musician's sheet music, causing them to play incorrectly. As a result, the musician just starts disintegrating and melting into a bloody mess… because Tony will not stand for ANY of his musicians playing out of time.” “ ‘Mr. Morgan! Mucking around once again! Looks like your time has officially run out!”_

Tony whipped his baton in the direction of a cellist with a yell.

“Mr. Morgan! Mucking around once again! It looks like your time has officially run out!”

The man began to scream as he melted into his chair, causing other musicians to cry out in horror at the visual of the man. Tony, however, remained cool and collected. Even if this was just a rehearsal, he would not stand for insolence like this.

And amidst the terror, the lighting director laughed to herself in the booth, rolling twice over in the air where she floated.

“I can hear your laughter!” The first violin, Nancy, swung her bow in Paige’s direction.

Paige stopped right away and floated down from her position in the air, going back to the lighting panel and turning them off from their effects while Mr. Morgan continued to melt in his chair. Tony quickly called for the orchestra to break while he made a note to chastise the cellist who had been consistently playing wrong notes.

However, as she was about to close the glass window and leave for her break, Tony’s voice echoed throughout the hall.

“LIGHT STAFF!”

With a groan, she climbed over the electric panel and out the window, looping her way down through the theater. As she did so, she saw Mr. Morgan, standing there on the stage biting his nails with such vigor that he might not have any left if he didn’t stop soon.

Tony was next to him, tapping a foot impatiently while Paige took her sweet time. Finally, he gave up, walking to the edge of the stage and yanking her down.

“Ahh!” She had no choice but to give, coming down to his level… or as close as she could get, being shorter than Tony.

“Miss Paige. Might I ask _why_ Mr. Morgan’s music is absolutely _covered_ in ink stains, colored pens, and stickers?”

“…Because it looks incredibly creative!”

Tony flung the music downward, having it hit the stage with a _thwack!_ before turning his glare back to the light crew… or, solo member of it.

“Miss Paige. We are a professional orchestra. Despite our… _unique_ abilities, this does not mean we should be fooling around. We could have lost Mr. Morgan to my illusions today, and I would rather not have a member of my orchestra be scarred for something he did not do.”

Suddenly, her usual chipper grin began a frown. “Was… was it that hard to read, Mr. Morgan?”

He gave a sigh, waving his hand. “Just a bit… I was simply afraid to go to the librarian… you know I don’t like how she stares into you with her eyes…”

“It’s just her x-ray vision, Mr. Morgan. I’m sure she means nothing by it. Now, go get some new music, _please.”_ Tony gave a forced smile, and Mr. Morgan got the memo, giving a nervous nod before dashing out with a sigh of relief.

Paige had already begun to float again, silently pushing away, but Tony reached out an arm to grab her.   
“Don’t you think you’re getting off scot-free. I fully intend to make you stay exactly two hours later tonight and go over the _entire_ concert with me.”

“What! Now that’s just unfair, Mr. Tony—“

“The _entire_ concert, Miss Paige. And may I remind you, that is not the usual punishment I dole out for my orchestra members, as you just saw.”

“…If I didn’t know you any better, Mr. Tony, I’d say you were getting soft.”

“Shut up,” he grumbled, turning back to tidy the music on his stand. “Don’t make me change my mind.”

“Someone’s getting _soft…!”_

_“MISS PAIGE!”_

 


	3. All Nighters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prompt: "i got up at 2 am to get some snacks at the convenience store down the street and opened my door to find you trying to sleep on the floor of the hallway because your roommate has [her fiancé] over so i guess i’ll lend you my couch for the night" AU_

Tony was trying to pull an all-nighter to finish a project, a new clock for his class. The details were going to be intricate and perfect. All the circles on the clock had to link together, and the pendulum, since it was already made, had to match the clock. Despite the fact their task had just been to simply build the clock, he wanted to take it another step further.

However, that also meant he had to take an all-nighter, and that came at the price of having to eat again during the night. His stomach told him that much, and as he stood up to crack his joints and walk to the kitchen, Tony remembered that he had no ready-made snacks. With a  heavy sigh, he pulled his coat on and opened his door—

Only to trip over someone lying on the floor of the hallway.

 “Ahh!” they both yelled, the young lady at being hit and Tony as he fell over before he caught himself.

The young lady instantly stood up, and Tony recognized her as the person across the hall. He tried to recall her name, as she’d brought him brownies when he moved in, and met a few times after that… during a fire alarm, at a party for their apartment building, and when they sometimes crossed paths leaving their houses.

But for the love of God, he was awful with names.

“Miss… Miss…”

“Paige. Hello, Anthony.”

“It’s Tony, please. Miss Paige, if I might ask, why are you lying down in the hallway?”

As if in response to his question, a rather loud moan came through the room across the hall, and Paige crossed her arms, pulling herself up from the floor.

“Ah…” Tony locked his door behind him and gestured to the stairwell. “I’m going to buy myself a late night meal, if you would like to come along, Miss Paige. It’s the least I can do for tripping over you.”

“Thank you, Tony. And you can call me Paige. I’d at least like to consider us more than acquaintances, as we’ve met more than a few times and we’re going out at two in the morning for food.”

With a chuckle, Tony opened the door and held it for her, before joining her in the walk towards the 24/7 store down the lane.

“How often does your roommate come over?” he asked, trying to make conversation.

“Not too often, but it had to be tonight.” Paige patted her messenger bag. “I was working on the paper in the hallway and decided to take a snooze, until I was rudely awoken by someone else who was pulling an all-nighter.”

Tony held his hands up with a grin. “Guilty as charged. Clock-building is an art, and sadly I am most inspired when it is late at night.”

“I procrastinate until the morning of. Probably not a good habit, but it really motivates somebody to finish something.”

“It does,” Tony agreed, stepping through the automatic doors to the 24-hour store, where the register was manned by a student who rapidly put away their homework and tried to muster a smile.

“Also procrastinating?” Paige asked and began a small conversation while Tony tracked down food. Chips, a cookie box, iced tea… Then he called out to Paige.

“Are you all right with cookies or do you want anything?”

Paige looked back, surprised, but gave it due thought.

“Candy! No, not candy… do they have cheese balls…? No, those get dust on your fingers… Get me crackers, I guess.”

“Crackers it is.”

“He your boyfriend?” The cashier whispered, nodding to Tony before looking back to Paige.

She gave a small laugh. “Anything but. He’s just the person across the hall. We both happened to be procrastinating on our papers. Just thought we should get food.”

Tony walked up to the counter in that moment and checked out, resisting Paige’s attempts to help pay, which merely confused the cashier more, who really just wanted the 4 AM person to come in so they could get a few hour’s rest before school.

“Thank you,” they both said as they walked out, and they walked home, Paige already breaking into the crackers.

When they arrived at their doors, Paige looked back down at the hallway floor.

“If you’d like to come in, you’re welcome to the sofa,” Tony said as he unlocked his door.

“What, really?” Paige excitedly walked in, completely willing to sit down somewhere far more comfortable than the hallway.

And it continued into the night. Paige finished her paper and fell asleep for a few hours, requesting that Tony wake her up at 7 AM so she could go collect her things from across the hall before school. Tony gave a hum in reply, and set an alarm on his phone, to remind him to wake her up if he actually pulled through and worked through the entire night.

The night seemed a bit more peaceful, and by the end, felt extremely exhausted, deciding that because it was 5 AM and the clock was done, two hours of sleep couldn’t hurt at all. He set his phone on the coffee table and laid back in the chair, falling asleep within a few moments.

* * *

When the phone went off, Paige woke up almost instantly, vaguely confused before remembering that she had stayed at her neighbor’s house that night. Shaking Tony awake before he went out, Paige gave him a smile and held out his phone.

“Good morning, thank you!” She gave him a big grin. “I’ll bring more brownies next time we pull an all-nighter together.”

“Together?” Tony sat up, trying to register everything she was saying.

“Yeah, this was kinda fun. I wouldn’t mind doing it again.” She smiled widely. “I also wouldn’t mind getting to know you better. Is that all right?”

Still groggy, but able to understand what she was saying, Tony smiled back. “Yeah, sounds great,” he mumbled before almost falling asleep again.

Paige sighed, thinking she would just check on him when she got back from school. The iPhone showed he had another alarm set for 9 AM. So at least he would wake up on his own.

Scribbling her number on a sticky note, she stuck it to his phone before quietly leaving, already thinking about what paper she would procrastinate on next.


	4. The Soulmate Countdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prompt from Myself: Tony cannot touch Paige at all – anything living that he touches is fated to suffer a painful death. Therefore, despite his affections for his fellow teacher, Tony keeps to himself, refusing to get too close to the Sketchbook._

_I can never touch her. I can never understand how to feels to hold her inky hands. I can never run my fingers through her rainbow hair._

_Everything I touch_ dies.

Tony sighed, settling back into the chair that Red usually occupied. At the moment, the trio was out, making him feel a little lonely. Paige usually came out and talked to him, or suggested a fight, but he hadn’t seen her at all that day. He felt like he was wasting time, just waiting to see her. But if he was relaxing, could you really call it _wasting_ —

Suddenly, he felt a presence in the room. The next instant, a pencil was millimeters from his neck, and he felt her skin dripping onto his coat. It briefly stained before quickly evaporating – her skin died rapidly, which was always nice for his clothes.

“Don’t get too close,” he said, monotone. “You might hurt yourself.”

“It’s always fun to play this game,” she teased, pulling the pencil back and running through her untidy hair as if it were a brush. It changed the color of a strand from yellow to pink, and she tossed her hair back with a shake and a smile in Tony’s direction.

“You almost dying,” Tony said, standing up, “is not teasing.”

At that, she began to approach him again, and in response, he began to back away, dancing out of reach from her outstretched hand.

“I’m not going to have to you die on my watch!” he cried out, spinning around to dodge the pencil again and in the process, grabbing a lamp.

_Non-living object. This will do._

He swung the lamp violently towards her legs, managing to hit one before she backed away. The leg flew off in a splatter of black and hit the wall with a wet _smack!_

“Oh, would you look at that?” Paige supported herself against the chair, staring at her leg with something akin to amusement on her face. “I’ll get it. Knowing you, if you touch that you’ll make my whole leg evaporate.”

“I wish you would stop playing this game, Paige,” Tony said, placing the lamp back in its original position.

“This round was fun, though,” she cooed, pressing the limb back into her socket as it bonded once again. A body of ink, Tony thought, must have unique powers. He wondered if it could regrow limbs as well. 

“See, you didn’t stick with the standards this time. You got creative with your attacks. You didn’t constantly dodge me, instead you actually used a weapon. I’m impressed.” She shook her leg back and forth, making sure it was securely attached.

“Well, you always seem to be out to die, Paige. I’ve already told you, this is most certainly a one-sided affair. I dislike fighting you, and you should have the same feelings.”

“Oh, Tony. You know I don’t fear it. You came in after my lesson with those three simpletons, and now we are here together until this set of lessons is over. Get used to it.” With another smile, she ran the pencil through her hair, making one of her very few green strands orange.

“…You know, I always wondered why you had green hair, if it’s not a creative color.”

Paige’s eyes saw red at the mention of her statement, especially because that was _her_ line…! And she hated those few strands with such abhor, that at times—

She lunged at Tony, and he was unable to react in time. He could only yell and watch as his wrist was grabbed and his hand, pulled towards her scalp.  

“Paige! No!”

He managed to pry himself away, but not before it was too late. Her hair was already falling out, and he could make out a little bit of her scalp. Strands of her colorful locks had become a muddy brown, and her fingers and palms were considerably smaller. However, at the sight of everything, she merely giggled.

Tony sighed. Despite the fact he had been utterly horrified, he was relieved to see that some her hair was still intact, and her hands were already sprouting new fingers. However, that had not changed the fact that he had hurt her, that he could have prevented it…

“I know I’ve told you once, twice… but you seem to forget, Paige, that I can hurt you!” Grabbing at his own hair, he pulled painfully and tried to control himself and his temper. By the time he had settled down, Paige was gone. Looking round for her, Tony eventually found her in the kitchen, sitting at the table and humming to herself as she drew crayon marking all over the wood. Her hands and hair had repaired, and Tony turned out, settling back into Red’s chair silently.

Nothing could ever come of their relationship. He knew that, deep down.

Then why did it hurt so much?


	5. Contacts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prompt from Anonymous: Paige the Pad has green eyes and she hates them. She forces Tony to help her buy colored contacts at the drugstore._

“Now, Tony, _darling_ , my _sweetest_ boyfriend…” Paige draped her arms over Tony’s shoulders, and he gave a sigh, feeling himself sink a little into the chair.

“You’re bringing out the sweet words. What do you need? Where am I driving you this time?”

“The drugstore.”

Tony turned his head in surprise. He was expecting another trip to the art store, or to the movies, or something… but not that. Paige blinked at him wordlessly as he stood up. “Is everything okay? What’s the matter?”

“I’m fine!” She waved her hand. “I just want contacts. I’ve finally decided it’s finally time to get rid of these infernal green eyes!”

“They’re beautiful, Paige!” Tony took up her hands, clutching them tightly. “Only one to two percent of the world has green eyes; you should be proud of them!”

“But I’m _not_ proud of them! I hate them! I want brown eyes.” 

“Not muddy ones like mine…”

“Yuck, not at all! I want a warm chocolate brown.”

“…Ugh.” Tony couldn’t help bury his face into his hands, but did eventually make the trek out to the store with her. While they buckled their seatbelts for what he saw to be a useless trip, he made a mental note to begin teaching her how the drive.

When they arrived, Paige couldn’t help but look at every single color they offered, save for the shades of green. She even entertained the idea of purple, red, or entirely black, which he thought would look ridiculous on her. Briefly wishing she wouldn’t spend more money than necessary to get those colors, Tony directed her attention back to the browns she had wanted.

In the end, she settled on a color that was very similar to his own, but on her, looked as warm as sunshine and bright as stars.

“Brown is a color that suits you,” he murmured, “but those purple eyes were just as nice.”

“I almost debated getting those purple contacts, you know, just because you seemed to light up when I put them on.”

“Maybe you can change out your eye color. Except you’re never buying those completely black ones… those ones that look like you’ve drenched your eyes in black ink.” 

“But—”

“You heard me.”

“…Fiiine.”


	6. Tick Tocks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prompt from Tumblr User obi-sweets: “Whenever [Tony’s] really stressed out or having a nightmare, Paige puts a clock next to him, and the sound of a correctly ticking clock calms him down.”_

Tony couldn't sleep. He had been totally unable to find a comfortable position in the twenty minutes he had spent in bed. Despite all his tossing and turning, nothing was helping him fall asleep.

The stress of his new job was the most likely cause of his sleepless nights. It brought new demands he had never experienced before, and the difference was enough to create an entirely different environment.

One that made Paige angry.

He feared it was the neglect and seemingly uncaring nature he had recently been showing off towards her – one that made it seem like he hated the relationship they were in. When in fact, it was quite the opposite.

Tony wanted to ask her to marry him. But he was afraid. Afraid of the consequence of popping the question in a time when she was furious with him, when they fought on a weekly basis due to clashing ideals and schedules.

The most recent fight had been right before they went to bed. It got heated, but the fact he was still in bed was a significant improvement from the prior argument – that one ended with him being demoted to the couch and waking up the next morning with a sore neck and a crabby attitude, which did not lessen the tension in the house before he left for work.

As Tony flipped himself over once more, he heard a voice from his other side.

“Will you stop tossing and turning, you lump?”

 _Damn it,_ Tony thought. _She’s awake._ He laid still, trying to just make it seem like he was asleep, despite the fact his current position was becoming more uncomfortable by the second.

Suddenly, there was a _thump!_ to his back, causing him to give a surprised cough.

“An answer would be nice. I know you’re not asleep.”

He didn’t want to face her. Not right now. The glare, he knew, would be dangerous, and her words would cut deeper if he didn’t come up with a suitable response. Instead, he tried to shrink into a smaller ball, maybe she would just leave him alone…

“Fine! That’s it.” Paige threw the covers back and swung out of bed, already moving away before Tony had a chance to reach out and grab hold of her.

“Paige! Wait!” His hand grabbed nothing but empty air as she kept walking, and he clawed further, but this only served to propel him out of bed as the sheets tangled about his legs. “Where are you…?”

 The question trailed off as he heard the answer.

_Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock…_

Lifting himself off the ground, Tony saw Paige standing in the doorway, a small clock in her hands.

“I finally found you one that makes the sound.” She walked around him and placed it on his night table, before going back to help him off the ground and free his legs from the bedding.

“Let’s see if that works, okay?” As they settled back into bed, she looked to him, something akin to a softness in her eyes. “I get the feeling you haven’t been yourself lately.”

Tony’s eyes turned from her to the clock. It was blue, with yellow numbers, and bright red hands. Small brush hair strokes were visible. Had she even painted it herself to make it unique? Smiling at the clock, he looked back to Paige, kissing her forehead. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

“You’re welcome, you slug,” she said, smiling back before lying back onto her pillow.

With a sigh, Tony did the same, falling asleep almost instantly to the sound of the clock.

**Author's Note:**

> I take in any and all prompts of PadLock you're willing to give them!! Leave a comment or send it in!


End file.
